Solstice, Parts 1 and 2
by Mars2916
Summary: This is my first fanfic, please PLEASE review...Some new characters interact with the Scoobies. THis are just ramblings from my twisted mind. Please read and tell me what you think.
1. Solstice Part 1

This story takes place the summer after Season 5. Riley is gone and Glory has been defeated…

Solstice, Part 1

"Are you certain you want to do this?" Hugh asked, looking past Sibhan at the runway.

"It's a little late to be asking that, isn't it?" She replied as the runway began to move beneath them. "And yes, I am certain."

Hugh sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to stop the migraine that was threatening him. He didn't want to take this trip. Meeting those two could damage her, and wash away all the training she had been given. But she had begged, pleaded, and wheedled, just as she always did. And he had given in, just as he always did. She knew exactly which buttons to press. Hugh supposed that was what made him a poor Watcher. He turned a weary face to his charge, who returned his look with a beaming face.

"Besides, what better way for an S.I.T. to get training than to learn from two actual Slayers?" Sibhan smiled at him, knowing that she had won.

Hugh sighed once more. This was going to be a very long trip.

…

Giles stood in his kitchen and dropped a tea bag into his mug. The early Saturday morning sun filtered into his house through the window. _How beautiful is day?_ thought Giles. These peaceful mornings were special: the light warming the room, the smell of bread browning in the toaster, the sounds of the birds outside, and the oh-so-familiar taste of tea in his mouth. These were the times when he was happy to be alive and in this spot at this moment. His peace was disturbed by a knock on the door.

"Oh what now?" Giles grumbled to himself.

He opened the door to find a couple on his doorstep. Both were rather tall and wore sunglasses. The man was wearing a white tee shirt and a black blazer with blue jeans and doc martins. He had short, sandy colored hair and a face that looked as though he could not stay serious for very long. The laugh lines around his mouth were too prominent.

The woman was a few inches shorter than the man was. She had long reddish hair. She wore very tight jeans and a purple tank top. _That was a look that Buffy would approve of_, Giles said to himself. She had a questioning look on her face that pulled her mouth to one side. Looking at her counterpart, she nervously ran her fingers through her hair. The man took this opportunity to speak.

"Rupert Giles?" He asked, using an accent that made Giles start. It was so familiar, from long ago. _London_, he thought, _and very clipped_…

"Are you Rupert Giles?" the man frowned, "Does he live here? This is the right address…"

Giles found his voice. "Yes, I am Rupert Giles, do I know you from somewhere?" The couple looked at each other and smiled.

"Excellent!" said the man excitedly. He took off his glasses and held out his hand. "I am Hugh Brody," he said shaking Giles' hand vigorously. He looked at the girl. "And this is my charge, Sibhan Connolly." The woman smiled. She pushed her glasses up off her face. She smiled and suddenly looked very young. 

"Sibby," she said, holding out her hand, "Most people call me 'Sibby'."

"Oh, pleased to meet you," said Giles, trying to take it all in. He was still trying to determine how much of a threat they posed. They were out in the light, so they weren't vampires. They looked human, but that could just be masking. _Hmmm_… "So, how do you two know me?" Hugh chuckled.

"Well, we don't really. I requested your address from the Council," he started quickly, "I would have called first, but I didn't take into account my cell phone going out…"

"The Council?" Giles cut him off, "the _Watchers'_ Council?" 

"Well, yeah. What other council knows your address?" They both cocked their heads to the side.

"You aren't in trouble with the mob or the government or something, are you?" asked the girl, Sibby.

"Oh no, of course not." Giles looked very put out and very British at her question.

"Oh ok, well yes, the Watchers' Council," continued Hugh, "and I'm sorry to be rude, but we have had a bit of a long flight, might we be able to come in?"

"Oh, yes of course," Giles decided that if their story was genuine, then inviting them in wouldn't be that big of a problem. He did, however, make a mental note of where all of his hidden weapons were located, just in case. He moved away from the door so that the pair could enter. Hugh took their luggage and made his way inside, followed by Sibby.

"We came right from the airport. I also forgot to remember how much of a time difference there is between the East Coast and the west…"

"You'd forget your head if it wasn't firmly stapled to your neck," said Sibby, giving Hugh a look, "I told you this flight was too early."

"Right, well anyway, yes, the Watchers' Council. They gave me a bit of the run around. Unfortunately you and good old Wes are still considered persona non grata on the other side of the pond. They got a little nervous when I started asking questions about you two and the Slayers. But eventually I was able to get your address, so here we are."

"I see," said Giles pensively, "and why exactly are you here?" They looked at each other again.

"Well, as you have probably already surmised, I am a Watcher, and Sibby here is a Slayer in training, among other things. She got curious about Buffy and Faith and thought that maybe we should pay you all a visit."

"I see," Giles repeated.

"So where is she?" Sibby spoke up, "Is she here?" Giles had almost forgotten she was there, she sat so quietly. 

"Ah, no, she isn't here." Sibby frowned at this, "She is at her house."

"Well what time is it? When does she usually wake up? What is her training schedule like? Will she come here directly or do you have to call her?" Sibby fired these questions faster than Giles could decipher them. Her face was almost flushed; she looked like a small child about to open her presents Christmas morning. Giles smiled at her.

"Well, knowing Buffy, she probably won't wake up until sometime around noon. Today eventually she will probably end up at the Magik Shop." Sibby frowned.

"Oh right, the store. Comes in handy, dealing with curses and such, doesn't it?" asked Hugh. Giles nodded.

"_Eventually_? What do you mean? Doesn't she have some sort of schedule to follow?" Sibby looked so disappointed.

"Buffy has her own kind of schedule. I should actually be getting over there soon. Would the two of you care to accompany me?" This was met by a brooding Sibby, and a happily nodding Hugh.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were piled into Giles' convertible, heading in the direction of the store. The two Watchers sat in the front, while Sibby reclined in the back and soaked up the California summer sun.

"So do you keep all your weapons and books at the store, or do you evenly disperse them?" asked Hugh. He was enjoying talking shop with someone who obviously knew what he was doing. 

"Well of course, it isn't wise to put all your eggs in one basket, so I keep an even number of weapons in both places. As for the books, all but a chosen few are in the store. We are also working on scanning all of the text into the computer to form some sort of database."

"Wow, that's amazing, how are you able to do that, run the store, train your Slayer, and have a social life?" asked Hugh.

"Well, I have help with the scanning from Willow…"

"The witch?" 

"Yes, she does practice witchcraft," said Giles drolly, "as for the social life, I still haven't been able to figure that part out yet."

"I see," said Hugh unhappily.

"How effective do you find that battleaxe? Is it very useful when you account for its weight?" This, surprisingly, came from Sibby in the back seat.

"What battleaxe?" asked Hugh.

"The ancient Summerian double bladed battle axe that he has hidden under the couch we were sitting on," said Sibby, adjusting her glasses. Giles glanced at her in the rear view mirror. 

"How did you know about that?" He asked.

"I tried to determine where all the weapons were placed when we got into the house, just in case." Giles was stunned, not only by her observation, but also by the fact that she knew what it was. 

"How did you know what it was?" Giles asked, giving in to his curiosity.

"Oh, ancient and medieval weaponry is one of Sibby passions. That and movies involving weaponry of that kind. Ask her how many times a week she watches 'Gladiator' or 'Braveheart'." Hugh laughed. Sibby made a face.

"What? I can't have interests outside of killing demons?"

"Well, here we are," said Giles, parking the car in back. "We'll go in through the back, that's where the training room is."

"Training room? You have a training room?" Sibby got that Christmas Day look back on her face. The three walked into the pre-discussed room. While the men made their way into the store, Sibby lagged behind, staring at everything. _This is like a dream come true_, she thought. The whole place was utterly amazing. She walked over and just for fun, gave the punching bag a weak kick. "Hey, Mr. Giles? Do you mind if I try some of this stuff out?" Giles gave her a smile.

"Go right ahead, my dear." Sibby had such a happy look on her face; it was as though she was going to explode.

"Just don't break anything," admonished Hugh, "we haven't even been here two hours." Sibby stuck her tongue out at him. They smiled at each other and Hugh followed Giles into the store.

An hour later, the Scooby Gang began to make their way to the Magik Shop. The first ones there were Anya and Xander. Anya had to work at the shop that day and Xander had nothing better to do. Before too long, Willow and Tara showed up. They wanted to stock up on some supplies and hang out with their friends. The foursome was surprised to see Hugh standing behind the counter, pouring over a gigantic book and questioning Giles every now and again.

"Who are you?" asked Anya angrily, "and what are you doing behind my counter? Giles, have I been fired?"

"No, Anya, you haven't been fired. This is Hugh, and I guess you could call him a friend from England."

"A 'Ripper' kind of friend, or a 'Giles-the-neighborhood-Watcher' kind of friend?" asked Willow nervously.

"Ah, yes," said Hugh with a smile, "I had forgotten about the whole 'Ripper' deal." Giles made a disgusted face.

"Well, I guess its safe to assume that since he is here and nothing is broken and we aren't dead that he is a good guy," said Xander.

"Well, of course, I'm a good guy. Do bad guys read?" Hugh said good-naturedly. The rest of the group smiled. 

"Well, I guess I should make the introductions. Hugh this is Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara." Giles pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose.

"Otherwise known as the Scooby Gang," said Willow, as she stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Pleasure to meet all of you. But no Buffy…"

"No Buffy isn't here yet, OH! But I spoke to her before and she said she would be here eventually," said Willow.

"As usual," smiled Giles.

"Well, the introductions aren't through yet. Sibby is going to be just thrilled to meet all of you," he beckoned them to follow him into the training room.

"Who's Sibby?" Tara asked Willow as they followed the young Englishman.

…

The group of five followed Hugh into the training room, where Sibby had not left in over an hour. Presently she was beating the crap out of the dummy, and totally immersed in what she was doing. The Scooby Gang stood mouths agape as they watched her punch and kick the dummy with lightning speed. 

"Damn," said Xander. Hugh merely smiled at their surprise.

"Sibby…." No response. He tried again.

"Sibby…" a little louder this time, still nothing.

"SIBHAN!" he yelled. She jumped away from the dummy and spun to face them, stake in hand. She looked like a deer caught in car headlights. The girl got her bearings and began to smile. Hugh walked over.

"I want you to meet some new friends, Sibby. This is Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara. According to Willow, they also refer to themselves as the 'Scooby Gang'."

"Oh, hi," she waved at them and then looked at Hugh, "no Buffy?"

"Well, not yet." Sibby frowned.

"So who are you guys?" asked Willow.

"Well, I am a Slayer in training and Hugh is my Watcher," she turned to Hugh again, "these are the ones in the book?"

"Yes."

"Oh, great, another one," said Anya.

"What book?" asked Willow.

"The Council's journal," Hugh replied. Sibby looked at the group, and decided to make nice.

"So guys, what's up?" she smiled nervously.

…

Buffy walked into the Magik Shop. She didn't see anyone in the store. Immediately her senses started going into hyper drive, trying to ascertain whether or not anything bad had happened. _No damage, ok. No bodies, that was definitely a good sign._ Suddenly she heard laughter coming from the back room. She hurried over.

When she entered the room, she saw her four best friends standing in a line facing away from her, with her Watcher off to the side chuckling. Apparently something was very entertaining.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Buffy asked. Tara turned, saw her, and nudged Willow. Willow turned and smiled. 

"Buffy!" The rest of the group turned to look at her. They parted down the middle and Buffy was able to see Hugh and Sibby for the first time. Sibby's jaw dropped. She made her way forward as her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. _This is Buffy_, she thought, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer!_ She reached forward, took Buffy's hand and began pumped it up and down.

"Oh wow…. I mean, just, WOW!" Sibby stammered, not knowing what to say. Buffy just looked at her. "Wow, you are _Buffy_, like THE Buffy. Damn."

"Sibby, why don't you tell her your name?" Hugh suggested.

"Oh right. Sibby, I'm Sibby."

"So I gathered," said Buffy, looking at Giles in confusion.

"Yeah, wow."

"Ok, honey, why don't you give the Slayer's arm a rest, ok?" Hugh came over and removed Sibby's hand from Buffy's, since the girl was unable to do it for herself. He waved to Buffy, deciding to give her arm a break.

"Hi, I'm Hugh Brody. I'm a Watcher, and this is Sibhan, my Slayer in training. Just give her a minute, and I'm sure she'll be fine. She is just really awestruck to actually be meeting you." Sibby still looked as though she could be knocked over with a feather.

"Hi, is she going to be ok?" 

"Yes, I'm fine. I think I just need some water," she looked at Hugh pleadingly.

"Right, lets get you some water before you pass out, ok love?"

"Yeah water. Water is good."

"Well, she talks like a Scooby already," Xander quipped.

…

A few minutes later, the whole group was gathered around the table in the store. Sibby sat directly across from Buffy, staring at her with open devotion. It was starting to freak Buffy out. Admiration was one thing, this was kinda creepy. The next thing she knew, Sibby would be lurking around her house like Spike. Buffy shuddered.

"Oh well, as I was saying before Buffy got here," Sibby was tempted to say _her_ _greatness_, "I'm from Boston. I'm almost 20 now, and Hugh has been my Watcher for about four years. Before him, I had another man named Mr. Kennedy as my Watcher. Unfortunately he passed away shortly before my sixteenth birthday. And then the council sent me Hugh, and we've been together ever since." She smiled up at Hugh, who returned her expression.

"How did your old Watcher die?" asked Buffy. Sibby looked instantly sad. "Oh I'm sorry, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No it's ok. He had a heart attack. He was very old, and had been very attached to the girl he was charged with before me. She was his granddaughter. I don't think he ever really got over it when she died."

"Oh how awful," said Anya.

"Yeah we made quite the pair. My mother had recently died, and my dad…Well let's just say that my dad didn't get it at all. He still doesn't, but he's lets me do what I need to do."

"I understand that problem," said Buffy. Sibby gave her a shaky smile. 

"So I understand that you guys have a kind of system going on here. What is it like?" asked Hugh.

"Well pretty much, Buffy slays, and we all do the research to tell her what to slay and how to slay the slayible," replied Xander.

"I see," said Hugh with raised eyebrows.

"Oh well that's all very well and good but I have a better question," said Sibby as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What do you guys do for fun around here?"

"Ah, a girl after my own heart," chuckled Buffy, "there is a club in town that we usually visit, called The Bronze."

"Excellent, a club," said Hugh as he looked at Sibby.

"What? You are going to go with us?" asked Buffy. Hugh nodded. "You never go clubbing with us, Giles."

"Buffy, would you really want me to?"

"Oh yeah, probably not. Well I guess we could go to The Bronze for a while and then I could patrol." Sibby got a hopeful look on her face that Giles caught.

"Buffy why don't you take Sibby with you tonight when you patrol?" suggested Giles. 

"Sure." Sibby beamed. Buffy gave her a look.

"Right, sorry," Sibby said sheepishly, "I'll tone it down."

"Ok so it sounds like we have a plan. Before Sibby and Buffy go patrolling, we will all go to The Bronze so that Sibby and I can check out some phat West Coast beats."

Everyone just stared at him.

"What?"

…

Later that night, Willow, Buffy, and Tara were in Buffy's room getting ready. They hadn't spent this much time primping since they were in high school, but tonight was kind of special. They had to show the Hellmouth off to the out-of-towners. Dawn loitered in the doorway. Tara sat on the bed, while Buffy put makeup on and Willow brushed her hair. It had been four months since Riley had left, the semester was over, and the apocalypse had once again been averted. Buffy was ready to get back into the game.

"You look pretty," said Dawn, then she remembered to cover herself, "I'm sure boys really like skirts that short." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well life is short, especially for a Slayer, so I have decided to stop whining and get on with mine. I just have to avoid all Angels, Rileys, and especially all Parkers."

"Who's Parker?" asked Dawn.

"Nevermind," said Buffy.

"Oh but Buffy, what about a Spike?" asked Willow innocently. Buffy turned bright red while Tara and Dawn laughed. Buffy shot her friend a deadly look.

"That _so_ is not funny. I honestly don't know which is worse, Stalker Spike or Homicidal Maniac Spike." Buffy sighed. She and Spike had gradually become friendlier toward each other. Well, they didn't try to kill each other anymore at least. And he had been there for her when all the stuff happened with her mom and Riley. But he had just been acting so odd. He was always lurking around. She almost wished he was still always trying to kill her, at least then she knew what to expect. She sighed again.

"When are they supposed to get here?" asked Tara, glancing at her watch. Just then the doorbell rang.

"I hate it when you do that," Willow smiled over at Tara, who smiled back. There was so much love in the look that passed between them that Buffy felt lonely all over again. She left the room and walked to the top of the stairs.

"Mom? Can you get the door?" she called, "We aren't quite ready yet."

Joyce Summers answered her front door and saw a man standing there that she didn't recognize. He turned to face her.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Summers, Buffy's mother. I see the resemblance. I'm Hugh Brody." They shook hands.

"Hello, Hugh. Do you go to school with Buffy?"

"What? Oh no, I'm a Watcher, like Rupert. I'm here with my charge, Sibby." He looked around, and saw her back by the car. "Sibby, love, let your eyes alone, and come meet Mrs. Summers." Sibby hurried up the walk. "I swear, women and their makeup."

Sibby heard the end of his remark. "Hey I wouldn't talk, mister, I seem to recall someone spending 45 minutes in the bathroom."

Joyce smiled at their banter. 'Won't you come in? Buffy and the others aren't quite ready yet."

"You see? I rest my case." Sibby gave him a look. Just then the other girls came down the stairs followed by Dawn. Buffy had on tight black pants and a white v-neck tank top with black shoes. Willow was wearing pants and a tie-dyed tee shirt, and Tara had on her usual long skirt and peasant blouse. Buffy looked over the couple at the door. Hugh had on a button down silk shirt in dark blue with black Dockers. Sibby was wearing a short sleeved low cut dark red shirt and a black miniskirt with black knee boots.

"Sibby, are you going to patrol in that?" asked Buffy.

"Oh of course not, I have a change of clothes in the car." Sibby smiled.

"Oh ok cool. So are you guys going to follow us?" asked Buffy.

"Yup, we borrowed Rupert's car for the evening," Hugh smiled and dangled the BMW keys, "I honestly thought he was going to cry when we drove away. Its not like I won't have it back in one piece." Buffy chuckled at the imagery. Giles loved his car.

"Ok, well just follow me," said Buffy as she got into the driver's seat of her jeep.

"Yeah just be sure to fasten your seat belts," said Willow with a smirk.

"Very funny Will, my driving isn't that bad."

"Uh huh, ok, right," she laughed as she got into the car.

Luckily, there were no major mishaps on the way to the club. Outside, the group met Anya and Xander. Anya was looking very pretty as always in a matching tan pants and top outfit. Xander was dressed very much like Hugh.

"So what Xander, did Anya dress you before you left?" teased Willow. Xander blushed.

"Well of course," replied Anya, "I can't trust his own judgement when it comes to clothes."

"Wow, you two are really domesticated," said Sibby, smiling at Anya and Xander.

"Oh god, don't even get them started," replied Willow. Sibby giggled.

They made their way inside the crowded club and proceeded to dance the night away. After a few hours, Hugh made his way outside for a little air. The Slayer and her protégé never stopped moving, but he didn't have their stamina, and needed a break. What he really wanted was a cigarette. He saw a man standing in the shadows in the corner of the alley next to club with a lighted cigarette in his mouth. He decided to be adventurous.

"Hey mate, got an extra cigarette?"

The man in the corner stood up and riffed through his pockets. For a few minutes all Hugh could see was a head of platinum blond hair. Then ice blue eyes met his green ones.

"Here you go. Nice accent by the way," said the man as he lit Hugh's cigarette.

"Same to you. Thanks a lot. Name's Hugh by the way." He held out his hand.

"No problem, what's a little lung cancer between friends?" chuckled the man.

"Nothing much I suppose," Hugh took a deep drag, "So what do your friends call you?"

"Spike."

"Interesting. Very punk. Anyone ever tell you you look a lot like Billy Idol?" Spike gave Hugh a dangerous look. "I'm kidding. So what part of Jolly Old England are you from?"

"You ask a lot of questions don't you?"

"Well, that's how I make friends. I bum smokes off them and then ask questions until they get fed up and beat me to a bloody pulp." They both laughed. Spike liked this man in spite of himself.

"I'm originally from London. But I've done a lot of traveling."

"Same here. Do you live in California?"

"Well, for now I do," said Spike as he flicked his cigarette, "what about you?"

"Just visiting."

"Sunnydale isn't exactly a tourist spot."

"Well I'm sort of here on business."

"Oh really…." Spike exhaled some smoke, "and what business would that be."

"Now look who's the curious one," Hugh looked back into the club, "Uh oh, I think I see the little woman coming, I had better put this out."

"Your woman doesn't like you to smoke?"

"More accurate would be she doesn't _let_ me smoke. I know, I know, it's a pansy ass thing, but trust me, her bite is just as bad as her bark." Spike chuckled as Hugh stamped out the butt. Just then Sibby came wandering out of the club with Buffy in tow. She started before she even got out the door of the club.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Come on, the DJ is playing some really good stuff. You weren't out here smoking, were you?" Hugh gave her an innocent look as Spike chuckled. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were having a conversation."

"Oh sorry pet, this is…"

"Spike!" Buffy interrupted, "What are you doing out here?"

"Just having a sm…uh…nice little chat with my new friend here, love, no need to feel jealous," Spike smiled.

"Why are you here?" asked Buffy, exasperated at the irony of life. _Of all the people Hugh could start up a conversation with… _

"The alley way is public property, pet."

"UGH!"

"Ok, disaster averted, so he's here. The more, the merrier. Spike, why don't you come on inside and party with us?" suggested Sibby after getting a positive nod from Hugh. Buffy looked at her as though she had grown an extra head.

"Ok, fine, you are harmless, and besides you have been helping out a lot lately. Come on, let's go," Buffy grabbed Spike's hand and dragged him behind her into the club. Spike was in shock. He had no idea who Sibby was, but he was from that moment her servant for life. She had gotten the Slayer to thank him AND to hang out with him. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Spike, what are you doing? Come on."

Later on that evening, the group was breaking up. Tara and Willow had taken Hugh up on his offer to drop them back at their apartment. Anya and Xander left in Xander's Blazer. Spike had wheedled his way into going on patrol with the girls, as much as Buffy protested. Sibby went over to the BMW to get her bag.

"You will be careful, won't you?" asked Hugh with a worried face.

"Of course."

"You should act more as an observer than an active participant. I'm sure that Buffy and Spike are totally capable of taking care of everything. You only fight if they get themselves in trouble." Hugh didn't look happy at all.

"Yes Hugh, I know. Only an observer." She smiled at his worries. He caught her face in his hand.

"There's no reason to take risks now, you only have a few more months." She kissed him briefly on the cheek. 

"I know, I wouldn't do anything stupid." He hugged her tightly to him. "I had better go." He sighed as he watched her walk away. The only one who had seen their little interlude had been Spike, who filed it away to think about later.

The cars separated, and Buffy's jeep headed for the cemetery. The threesome only patrolled for a few hours. That day had been the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, so there hadn't been that much undead movement. What they ended up doing for most of the night was regaling Sibby with stories of life on the Hellmouth. By the end of the night, Sibby knew pretty much everything that had happened, right up to Riley's betrayal and the victory over Glory. She also knew about the whole Buffy/Angel saga and laughed whenever Spike mumbled about him under his breath. They had bonded significantly. Finally they dropped Spike off at his crypt. He looked woebegonely at the jeep as it pulled away.

"So what's the story with you and Spike?" asked Sibby on the way back to Giles' house where they had been invited to stay.

"We have a very complex relationship," replied Buffy.

"Well, that I believe," retorted Sibby.

"We are either trying to kill each other, or bonding over being 'love's bitch' as he calls it, or…"

"Or what?"

"Well, nothing, I guess."

"Uh huh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing."

"Yeah, I bet." The girls laughed at their foolishness. Buffy dropped Sibby off, and made her way back to her own house. Sibby walked into the house, and saw Hugh lying on the couch. He had wanted to stay awake until she got home, but had fallen asleep after the long day. Sibby decided to leave him there and walked up to the guestroom.

At 6:30 am, the kitchen light was turned on. Sibby looked around for a glass for her orange juice. The light had woken Hugh from his spot on the couch.

"'Morning," he said sleepily. Sibby walked over and pecked him on the cheek. 

"I'm sorry I woke you," she said sadly.

"It's alright, I usually wake up when you do," he said as he found her a glass.

"I know, but we had such a long day yesterday…" she started.

"It's alright, this might be the only time I get to see you today."

"I'm just going for a run. I'll be back."

"I know. But I still wish that you were legally required to do so," he looked at her pointedly, "I could barely sleep last night," he pouted, "on that couch, all alone, and I was cold…"

"Hugh, you know that I couldn't very well curl up with you on the couch."

"Why not?"

"Oh we aren't going to start this again, are we?"

"Yes, we are. In three months you will be 20 and your trial will be over. You will get your letter and this insanity will end. And then, if you still want to, we can begin your training as a Watcher. The danger will be over."

"How do I know that you won't get sent away to some other girl?"

"Because I will be assisting in your training and the training of other Watchers."

"And what happens when I get sent away to take a charge? What happens to us then?"

"You don't have too, you could stay in London, do research…."

"Don't be stupid. I'd be one of the best candidates to be a Watcher because I was one of the chosen. They won't let an opportunity like that pass them by."

"They wouldn't do that, they promised."

"Oh please, their word isn't worth anything. You've seen what they have done."

"We could work it out somehow…if we were married, they couldn't very well split us up."

"If they would even allow us to get married, or if they recognized it."

"It sounds to me that you are just making excuses again." She didn't say anything, just put her hands on the edge of the counter and stared at the ceiling. She tried to hold the tears back, but they threatened to spill forth. She could have all the strength of a Slayer, and yet still could not control her emotions where he was concerned. They had had this argument so many times; she could practically repeat it back verbatim. "I love you, doesn't that mean anything?" He asked in desperation. He knew as soon as he said it that he had gone too far.

"It means everything," she said with a choke. She moved toward the door, the juice forgotten.

"Baby, come here…" Hugh moved toward her but she pulled away.

"No. I am going out for a run." She left the house without looking at him.

"Don't get lost," Hugh said quietly to the door. He angrily threw a dishtowel into the sink and stormed off to the couch and flipped on the TV.

…

They had been there a week and a very happy time had been had by all. By this time, Hugh and Sibby had decided to take their leave of the crew in Sunnydale. Sibby still wanted to meet Faith, Angel and the rest of the team in Los Angeles. Probably the saddest to see them leave was Spike. With Sibby and Hugh around, he had character witnesses who weren't familiar with his previous deviant behavior. It also helped that he genuinely liked the couple and had become good friends with Hugh. Spike was actually the only one who knew for sure what the deal was with Hugh and Sibby's relationship. Everyone else could only guess. One night after drinking while the girls were out on patrol, Hugh had spilled the beans. Hugh had also become privy to Spike's feelings for Buffy, and had become his biggest supporter. Hugh was always talking about how great Spike was whenever Buffy was around. 

Hugh and Sibby had rented a car to drive down to LA. The morning they were set to leave, they found themselves alone at Giles' house. Rupert had made some comment about needing to get to the store and that they should be sure to stop by the shop to say goodbye. 

"Hey Sibby, how long have we been together?"

"You have been my Watcher for four years."

"Right," he said, taking her hand and facing her palm towards her, "four years," he straightened four fingers starting with her thumb. Then he placed a ring on her finger. He turned her hand so that she could see the ring. Sibby's hand was now decorated with a diamond engagement ring with a gold band. 

"Oh my God..."she said as she began to cry, "oh my God!"

"I know that we have been through this, and I know that you are afraid of my getting hurt, but I know what the risks are, and I want to be with you more than anything. I am willing to deal with the risks if you are." She kept crying. He got down on his knee.

"Sibhan Connolly, will you marry me?" 

"Yes," she sobbed, "yes!" Hugh gathered her in his arms and gave her a bear hug.

"Excellent!" Hugh was beaming. They kissed. It was the first real kiss they had been able to share since they had gotten to Sunnydale. "Maybe we should get going?"

"I guess so," Sibby smiled at him. They left the house and headed for the shop. What they didn't know was that the entire Sunnydale crew had planned to throw them a going away party. They had even smuggled Spike there for the party, forcing him to spend the previous night at the shop. He was also the only one who knew about Hugh's proposal plan. Everyone wished to couple luck. Sibby was very surprised, she had expected to meet with weird looks and snide comments when the group found out about her relationship with Hugh, since he was, after all, her watcher. But there were only happy thoughts, so she relaxed after a while. As the afternoon drew on, the couple decided to get on their way, since they still had a few hours' drive ahead of them and they wanted to be in LA just as Angel would be waking up. Before she left, Sibby hugged Buffy.

"I had this really clear picture of you in my head based on everything that I had learned about you," Sibby said.

"Disappointed, huh?" asked Buffy, returning the hug.

"No, just the opposite, you lived up to everything I could have imagined," Sibby pulled back and looked Buffy in the eye, "Never doubt yourself. You are the Slayer for a reason. We all depend on you, because only you have the strength to protect us." 

With that, Hugh and Sibby got into the car and waved goodbye to their new friends. Hugh started the car up and made his way to the highway. Later that night Buffy was patrolling when she walked past Spike hiding behind a tree.

"I know that you are hiding behind that tree over there, Spike," Spike turned to face her, looking very embarrassed, "Why were you hiding?"

"Because I didn't think you would want any company."

"Actually, I could use a little company. I'm a little lonely tonight," Buffy looked very sad.

"I'm at your service, pet," Spike walked over to her, hoping that there was an invitation in what she said, "You miss them already, huh?"

"Yeah," Buffy didn't back away from him. She was a lot more comfortable around him now. Despite her better judgement, Buffy was actually starting to trust him.

"Me too," Spike looked just as sad as Buffy. They sat down on the curb.

"This always seems to happen," said Buffy, as she moved closer to Spike.

"What's that, pet?"

"Every time I am sad, or something bad happens, you always seem to be there to help me work it out."

"I do what I can," Spike put his hand on her upper back, and Buffy didn't move away.

More to come…..


	2. Darkest Night, Solstice Part 2

TIME LINE: This takes place directly after Solstice Part I, which is the summer after Season 5. Riley is gone and Glory has been defeated.

DISCLAIMER: I'm sure everyone is aware of this but we'll go through it anyway. I don't won anything except the plot, Hugh, Sibby, Alexander, Darien, and Violet. Everything else is Joss' baby.

DEDICATION: This one is for Oops, who knew I could do it! 

__

And now, on with the show!

Darkest Night

Solstice Part 2/6

Hugh and Sibby reached Los Angeles just as the sun was setting. _That seemed appropriate_, they thought to themselves as they watched the sky change into the beautiful colors that can only be found in a California sunset. They hadn't spoken much during the long car ride. Both were engrossed in their own thoughts. Sibby looked down at her hand, at the engagement ring that now made its home there. Hugh's proposal had happened so fast, she had accepted without really thinking. What had stood between them before was still there: the fear, the anxiety. But in that moment, she was so certain that they would be able to work everything out. Now she wasn't so sure. Now that she was left to her thoughts… _It'll be all right_, she told her brain, _it has to be all right…_

Hugh concentrated on the roads, trying not to let his mind wander. He wasn't familiar with California highways and he definitely didn't want to get lost. Especially since they had very few weapons. He was nervous about this leg of their trip. Everything had gone so well in Sunnydale, too well. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. No one knew them in Sunnydale, so they didn't have to be as careful. But here, in LA, this was different. Wesley was here, and he was a link to Hugh's past that he would rather not have. They would have to be very careful, indeed. 

"Looks like we're almost there," he said breaking the hour-long silence.

"Guess so," she replied in a monotone.

He breathed deeply, preparing for an argument. Sibby could be so difficult when she wanted to be. "Maybe you should take the ring off," he exhaled.

"I was just thinking that." He turned his entire head and just stared at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, no reason to go in there and have to explain more things than we would like," she looked at him.

"You're right." She looked back at the ring and retrieved its box from the glove compartment.

"Do you really think that he would tell the Council?" asked Sibby, looking at Hugh with a sad face.

"I really don't know, love, but I don't want to take any chances. We'll just have to be extra careful," Hugh replied. Sibhan sighed.

"Well ring," she said, holding the ring with the thumbs and forefingers of both hands, "looks like I won't be seeing you again for awhile. Go to your home." She put the box back into the glove compartment. Hugh smiled to himself as he listened. She could be so child-like sometimes. It was one of the things that made her so endearing.

"Here we are," he stopped the car but he didn't get out right away. He just kind of sat there, staring at the building in front of them. Sibby got out of the car and leaned in through the open window.

"So are we going to go in, or are you going to sit here all night?"

"Sitting here sounds pretty good."

"Come on, chicken," she dragged him out of the car and into the office.

They entered a small, dimly lit room. A very striking brunette girl was seated behind a computer, the screen casting an eerie glow on her face. Her head shot up at the sound of people walking through the door. She nearly knocked over the chair in which she was sitting when she stood to greet them.

"Hello and welcome to Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. We also offer a variety of payment plans.." she smiled to them pulling another chair around for them to sit.

"Hello," said Hugh, briskly shaking her hand, "you must be Miss Chase." Her face changed from a beaming smile. She stepped back.

"Have you seen my commercials?" the smile was back after she thought for a minute.

"Well, no actually," said Hugh, "Mr. Giles told us about you."

"Giles? Oh God, you aren't from Sunnydale, are you?"

"Well, by way of Boston," said Sibby.

"Huh?" asked Cordelia. Just then, Wesley walked gingerly in from the other room. He looked up and seeing Hugh nearly dropped the tomes he was carrying.

"Wes, how good to see you again!" smiled Hugh.

"Hugh Brody, where wonders never cease," said Wesley hesitantly.

"What a minute, you two know each other?" asked Cordelia as Sibby looked up at Hugh.

"Of course, we trained to be Watchers together. Oh Wesley, don't you look back on those days and smile?" asked Hugh tauntingly, unable to help himself.

"Yes, well, what exactly are you doing here?" Wesley replied.

"Sibby here, my Slayer-in-Training, wanted to meet the famous Buffy and the infamous Faith." At this point, Sibby stepped forward and extended her hand toward Wesley.

"Sibhan Connolly, pleased to meet you," said Sibby.

"Wesley Windham-Price," Wesley said absently shaking her hand but never taking his eyes off of Hugh.

"So, how's business?" asked Sibby, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"Ok. Now that we've got Angel back from his 'blue period,' things are starting to get back to normal," answered Cordelia, appreciating Sibby's attempt at conversation.

"So how did you find Sunnydale?" asked Wesley.

"Very well, everyone was extremely friendly and we were accepted into the 'Scooby Gang' right away," said Hugh, smiling. Wesley grimaced.

"So who are the new clients?" asked Angel, walking through the door. Everyone jumped.

"Damn, I hate it when he lurks like that," said Cordelia. The introductions were made again, and everyone settled down to chat.

"So you want to go visit Faith?" Angel asked Sibby. She nodded. "Well I can take you over there tomorrow night."

"That's ok, we know that you are busy. Hugh and I can go by ourselves, we just need directions."

"Well, Faith isn't that agreeable sometimes, and it might help if I was there to ease over things," Angel offered again. Sibby frowned at Hugh.

"Oh well, then I guess we'll go tomorrow. Where is it again?" said Hugh.

…

Hugh and Sibby lugged their bags into the hotel room. They hadn't even gotten in the door, and were fighting already.

"Why did you have such a problem with Angel going with us to visit Faith?" asked Hugh angrily.

"Because this was something I wanted us to do by ourselves, not with the vamp interfering."

"What difference does it make? He is probably right, Faith is dangerous, he could have smoothed things over."

"When have I ever needed anyone to smooth things over for me?"

"Is this really what this fight is about or is it something else?" 

"What are you talking about?" asked Sibby, pushing her hair out of her face in frustration.

"Why are we fighting about whether or not Angel goes with us tomorrow night?"

"I don't know, you started it," Sibby sighed and crossed her arms, "look why don't we compromise? Since I want to see her alone, we'll just go tomorrow afternoon and then again with Angel tomorrow night." Hugh sighed as well, knowing that once again she was ending the fight her way. She had been so moody lately; he walked around her on eggshells.

"Fine" was all he could say. With that, and another huff, he threw himself on the bed and tried to go to sleep.

The next morning Hugh woke up to a very strange sound. Sibby wasn't in bed and the bathroom door was closed. He got out of bed and walked over to the door to listen. The unmistakable sound of someone getting sick came from inside. The toilet flushed and Sibby opened the door.

"What!?…What are you doing there? You scared the hell out of me," said Sibby as she walked past him.

"Are you alright?" asked Hugh, becoming upset.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just nervous about meeting Faith, I did take over Boston for her after she left after all. Those are big shoes to fill," she replied. Hugh seemed convinced. He nodded and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Sibby exhaled as the door clicked. She was shocked that he had been put off so easily. Usually he freaked out whenever he thought she was sick. She also couldn't believe he had believed her lie. She had been throwing up every morning for the past two weeks. Luckily thus far she had been able to get up well before Hugh and hide what was happening. Sibby looked at herself in the mirror. _Looks like its time to be realistic_, she told her reflection. It was time to make a stop at the drug store. 

…

Hugh and Sibby sat at the visitation booth waiting for Faith to sit down. Finally they saw a medium-sized tough looking brunette approach. She eyed them suspiciously and sat down.

"Hello, Faith, my name is Hugh Brody, I am a Watcher, and this is my charge, Sibhan…"

"Hey wait a minute, Watchers!" she looked nervous, "I haven't done anything. You go back to London. I'm trying to behave, but I will defend myself."

"No, no," Sibby interrupted, "we are here to meet you, not to cause trouble." Faith calmed down a little, but was still tense. 

"What do you want to meet me for?" Faith asked.

"Like Hugh was trying to say, I'm a Slayer-in-Training. We're from Boston, and I heard about you and Buffy, so I talked him," she gestured to Hugh, "into flying west. So we went to Sunnydale, hung out there for awhile and then came here."

"How did you find out where I was?"

"Angel told us," answered Hugh, "he wanted to come with us, but Sibby wanted to meet you alone first."

"Yeah we'll be back again with him tonight," said Sibby.

"Oh," said Faith quietly, "I'm surprised that you still wanted to come here after being in Sunnydale. They probably didn't have very nice things to say about me."

"Well, we really didn't discuss you when we were there," said Hugh.

"Yeah, so how much longer are you in here?" asked Sibby.

"Six months if my behavior stays good. It isn't easy but I'm trying. My lawyers are still trying to file appeals to lessen my sentence, although it doesn't help that I ran."

"So what are you going to do after you get out?" Sibby wanted to know.

"Get a nice desk job somewhere, maybe Angel can pull some strings and let me do research for Cordelia, and Wes. Although, I doubt that he has _that_ much influence. Maybe I'll get my GED while I'm here and try some community college or something. I need something nice and legal to keep me busy." Sibby smiled.

"Counting the days, huh?" she asked good-naturedly.

"You could say that." The group heard the guard say that time was up.

"Ok, Faith, we'll see you again later tonight…with Angel," said Sibby. Faith smiled, feeling a little better now.

"Right, later."

…

While the sun was still high in the afternoon sky, Hugh walked into Angel Investigations. Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia all said their hellos. They were knee-deep in a case and books littered every surface in the room.

"So what are you guys doing?" asked Hugh.

"Research," replied Gunn, "during the day we do the grunt work and wait for one of Cordy's visions, and then at night when Angel wakes up we go and solve the mystery."

"Anything I can help out with?" asked Hugh wanting something to do.

"Sure," Cordelia handed him a book; "we're looking for something gooey that likes cold, dark places. Like mold or something. So where's your other half?"

"Sibby decided she wanted sometime alone, so she went off exploring. And I have no great urge to go sight seeing so I came by to see if I could be of any help."

"Sibhan seems a little old to still be a Slayer-in-Training," remarked Wesley.

"Yes, well, she has a few more months and then she is let off. At that point, she has decided to enter Watcher training. And then we take it from there."

"So she goes to England and you go on to another Slayer?" asked Gunn.

"Well, no, I will go back to England as well and help train other Watchers."

"What has she decided to do her thesis on?" asked Wesley, knowing more about Watcher training then the rest of the group. Hugh sighed.

"Alexander of Perth," said Hugh. Wesley almost fell out of his chair.

"You have to be kidding," said Wesley.

"What? I don't get it," asked Gunn.

"Alexander of Perth is a myth, he is supposedly a million year old vampire or something that the Council tells the Watchers in training about to make their mouths water."

"I'm still lost," complained Cordelia.

"They circulate a rumor about this vampire who is supposed to be at least 500 years old, making him the oldest and strongest vampire in the world, that we know of at least. The only problem is that no one knows if he actually exists, he has never come into contact with a Slayer, never battled one, never killed one. At least not to our knowledge. And if he is real, he either has very few minions or has succeeded in keeping them hidden for God only knows how long. Most of us who are realistic consider him to be a myth, as Hugh said. The others usually end up becoming obsessed and chase around ghosts as though they were on the search for the Holy Grail," Wesley explained.

"And Sibby keeps telling me that she has figured something out about him. She is convinced that she has uncovered some secret that will prove he exists," Hugh sighed again. 

…

The sun was setting and life was just starting to pick up in a large penthouse loft near Hollywood Blvd. The lights had come up, and music was already playing loudly from the stereo. Darien de Lyon walked out of his bedroom and stretched his neck. It had been a long day traveling from San Francisco. He continued to stretch as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen where Violet stood behind the counter, flipping the pages of her fashion magazine.

"Good evening, Violet," he said good-naturedly, reaching into the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"'Morning sweetheart," she replied saccharinely. She looked back down at the magazine.

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin this evening," he said, unhappy with her crappy mood.

"I'm not happy that we are here, you know that," she looked at him and sighed, "Why aren't we doing what we normally do? We should be in Paris now, the fall shows are just starting." Darien chuckled and quickly ran his fingers through his short, blond hair.

"Now this I don't understand. It's a bit of an oxymoron, don't you think, that you are so interested in fashion? Isn't that too stereotypically girlie for you?"

"That's because now fashion is a form of expression. In my time, it was a form of prison," replied Violet tartly.

"I see," answered Darien, deciding not to goad her, "well you know where I'll be."

"I don't know why you even bother, its not like you're going to age or anything," Violet was still pissy, and Darien's chipper mood just made her even more angry. 

"Violet, we do have to take care of our bodies. If we don't we run the risk of looking like that _Nosferatu_ guy," Darien made a face at her.

"Whatever," she handed him his bottle of water, "go get all sweaty." He smiled, took the water, and walked over to the exercise room. From where Violet was standing in the kitchen she could see him beating the punching bag to a pulp. She rolled her eyes as she admired him, then closed them and began swaying to the music and mouthing the words.

_All of my life, where have you been?_

I wonder if I'll ever see you again,

And if that day comes, I know we will win,

I wonder if I'll ever see you again…

Alexander woke up to the sounds of Lenny Kravitz. His children were awake, and another night had started. They were in Los Angeles. And more importantly, _she_ was here. He smiled to himself in the darkness as he put his arms under his head. Finally things had come full circle. Finally they would be together again. He got up and walked into the kitchen were Violet stood staring daggers at him.

"Violet Ambrose, if you have something on your mind, why don't you just spit it out?" he asked wrapping his fingers around a mug of coffee.

"Fine, you want to know what I think? I think this is stupid and dangerous. I think that this little obsession of yours is going to get us all killed. This is not some kind of game, Alexander, this is about our lives."

"Yes, Violet, I understand that you are not happy about this, but it will be over with before you even know it." 

"I still don't like it," she snapped as she walked into the living room.

"So what are we going to do tonight, oh Master of mine?" asked Darien from the doorway to the rec room, noticing that his sire was awake.

"Tonight," said Alexander, smiling into his coffee mug, "we hunt."

…

Sibby looked absent-mindedly out the window. She didn't even know why she had bothered with the test. She already knew what it would tell her. She was pregnant. It wasn't as bad as her heart was making it out to be. She was nearly 20, she was engaged, and her dangerous career was almost at an end. Her circumstances were much better than many girls in her situation were. But then why did her heart hurt so much? When she thought on it, she realized that she was afraid. She was afraid of what Hugh would say. And more importantly, she was afraid that she might lose the baby. Sibby didn't want that. She knew it as much as she had ever known anything. _Maybe this is my destiny_, she thought.

The sun had set and it was time for her to be getting back to the small office where the rest of the LA gang was assembled. She grabbed the keys and walked outside toward the car. Instantly she knew something was wrong. She turned around and saw a very tall man standing before her. His auburn hair showed glints of gold from the streetlight. _Oh no_, she thought, instantly knowing what he was.

"Ok, buddy, let's get this over with," she dropped to a fighting stance. The man did not move. "Oh come on, I do not have time for this. Do you know what a watch is? I do have places to be. Can we just get this over with?" 

Finally he stepped forward, and threw his arm out in her direction. At first, she thought he was too far away from her to actually make contact. That was until he hit her square in the nose. And so the fight began. Sibby fought like she never had before, trying so hard to stay one step ahead of her opponent. But he was like nothing she had ever faced. He moved faster than she could see, hit harder than a speeding truck, and was as skilled a fighter as any cast member of _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon._ The fight continued for twenty minutes. Sibby could taste blood in her mouth, her head hurt, and she was beginning to get tired. Then suddenly, as suddenly as the battle had begun, he was gone. And Sibby was lying in a heap on the ground, gasping for breath.

Darien and Alexander were already a block away. Alexander hadn't even broken a sweat fighting her. He had a gigantic smile on his face.

"Jesus, Lex, its been too long since I've seen you fight like that and mean it," said Darien in admiration.

"Well, its been awhile since I've had a reason to exert myself," the smile broadening, if that was possible.

"So what did you think?" he asked as they got into the black Lincoln Navigator.

"Excellent, better than I could have ever expected. She's a dream."

"Well at least all this isn't for nothing then," Darien said with a frown as Alexander put the car in gear and drove back toward the loft.

…

The people in the office of Angel Investigations all jumped when Sibby stumbled in the door.

"Good God, Sibhan, what happened to you?" cried Hugh as he jumped up and ran to her side.

"Vamp, ouch," Sibby sat in the chair.

"A vampire did this to you? But you've never gotten this beaten up from a vampire."

"Yeah well this isn't just your average, run-o-the-mill vampire. And I think I know who it was."

"Oh not this again," Hugh sighed. Sibby glared at him.

"Don't you belittle my theories, Mr. High and Mighty, I am in no mood."

"So this is about that Alexander guy?" asked Cordelia.

"I think so. And I see that Hugh has filled you all in."

"And why would you think that?" asked Wes.

"Because he fought like nothing I've ever faced before, because I've never gotten vamp-vibes off of anything like I got off of him, because he moved faster than anything I've ever seen, and the list could go on."

"He fought better?" asked Gunn.

"Seen the _Matrix_? A little something like that. It was him; nobody else could have done that. It was him."

"And so the obsessing begins!" said Hugh in exasperation.

"Alright, saying that Alexander of Perth actually exists, what makes you think that he would suddenly appear and start fighting someone so close to the Council?" asked Wes, trying to stop the fight that everyone felt brewing between the two.

"How should I know? Maybe it was just coincidence; I mean, after all he shouldn't even be here at this time of year. Who knows, but I'm telling you, it was him," said Sibby with finality. 

"What do you mean, 'he shouldn't be here?'" asked Cordelia.

"Here we go again," replied a very sullen Hugh. Sibby shot him a look.

"I've been studying his movements. He's migratory. If you look at all the supposed sightings of him, as I have, a pattern forms. He slowly circles the globe. It takes about five years for him to complete a trip. But he shouldn't be in LA now; he should be in Paris. It's very peculiar," she frowned.

"Well, that's a very well thought out theory. Probably the best I've ever heard," commented Wesley.

"Probably one in five of the wackos that believe in him have thought the same thing," snapped Hugh. Sibby ignored him.

"Thank you Wes. I'm glad at least _some _English people have an open mind," Sibby smiled at him then shot Hugh another death look. After agonizing over the pros and cons of Sibby's theory for what seemed like hours, Angel was finally able to drag them away.

Back at the hotel room, Sibby sat Hugh down for "the talk." She knew that she should tell him as soon as possible about her condition. The reaction she got was not one that she expected. Hugh was elated at the idea of becoming a father. They decided to move the date of the wedding forward and also to move permanently to Los Angeles, feeling that they could be most useful to Angel's team. The following week, they visited the doctor and were able to rent an apartment. They also decided to keep their new blessing a secret for the time being.

Two weeks turned into a month and Hugh went back to Boston to pack up their old apartment and send everything west. Sibby was left in LA to try to make their new apartment seem like a home. By this time everyone had found out about them being a couple and engaged. Most had been nothing but supportive, but not everyone.

"I don't like this," complained Wesley, "it goes against every lesson that is instilled in a Watcher." Cordelia sighed at hearing this argument for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Is this because you don't like the whole 'Lolita' thing, or because you don't like Hugh?" she began, "And that is something I really don't understand. I mean, he's such a likeable guy."

"That's just the point," Wesley exploded, which was odd for him, "Everyone also loves Hugh. For example, look how well he was accepted but Buffy and her friends. She never accepted or respected me, but was all but bowing down before the magnificent Hugh Brody! Just like London all over again."

"Oh God, the lamentations of the class nerd," replied Cordelia. Wesley looked at her as though she had murdered his pet, "Sorry. But Wesley, the situation you came into was totally different in Sunnydale. You were sent there to take Giles' place, and that was a very bad thing. I mean the Council might as well have sent you there to take Willow's place, it just wasn't gonna work. And now that you aren't trying to do that, I'm sure that there wouldn't be a problem. Besides, what do you care about what the people in Sunnydale think? You are here with us now, and a damn important part of the team. I mean its not like you're Zeppo Harris or anything," Cordelia couldn't resist adding.

"You're right," said Wesley, feeling better, "thank you Cordelia."

Slaying and the occult were forgotten, as Buffy planned a wedding shower. Things were happening very fast. The happy couple was just that, incredibly happy. They were able to look to the future with real hope for the first time.

All the while, Alexander and Darien kept a close watch on Sibby's actions. They followed her every night. Alexander used this time to keep plotting. Each night, as he watched her, another piece of his plan fell into place. _Everything will be finished soon_, he told himself, _just bide your time_. 

Darien was at odds with himself. He was not happy with what he knew Alexander was planning. A part of him agreed with Violet, anything having to do with Slayers should be left alone. At the same time, he didn't have it in him to go against his sire. Darien understood his loneliness, and couldn't hold it against him that he was trying to do something about it. _Still_, he thought, _he shouldn't be messing with things like he is. Hadn't he learned anything?_

…

One night, after they had been in LA for about a month, Alexander approached Violet.

"Violet my dear, I have a little job that I would like for you to do," she looked at him oddly.

Half an hour later, she pulled her dark red Mercedes SLK in front of a quaint apartment complex. Within minutes she saw her quarry get out of his car and walk toward the apartment. She quietly got out of the car and followed him. She quickly became bored by the fact that he hadn't noticed her.

"Hey you," she said to him, taking out a cigarette, "got a light?"

"Sure," he said, taking out a lighter, "I'm going to have to quit soon, I might as well use up as much of this lighter as possible." He lit her cigarette.

"Oh well that's too bad," she pulled away, "Oh shit, it didn't light." She moved very close to him. She looked him in the eye, mesmerizing him. "Gimme some sugar, baby."

Before he knew what was happening, Violet was behind him with her hands on his head. She broke his neck before he took another breath. Violet let go and he slumped against her as his lifeless body fell to the ground. She bent down and took his wallet and Fossil watch. These she deposited in a nearby garbage can.

"All too easy," she said as she got in the car and drove back to the loft. 

…

She pulled her Mercedes into the garage under the high rise that held their loft. Violet parked the car and saw Darien nearby fiddling with his motorcycle. He had a cigarette hanging from his mouth and a scowl on his face. She got out of the car and walked over to him.

"What do you have some kind of death wish now?" she asked Darien.

No response.

"Motorcycle fuel is highly flammable, and you do have an incendiary device in your mouth."

__

Still no response.

"Hey," she said angrily.

"Hello," he answered back without looking at her.

"What's the matter?" 

"Nothing."

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." He sighed.

"Fine, you really want to know what's wrong?" he finally looked up at her, "I've got a question for you. Where were you?"

"I was out on a job."

"Yeah, I know. I know he asked you to go out and kill that man," he stood and walked over to his tools.

"Oh don't get all holier than thou on me, Darien, you have killed people before."

"That's the point. I have killed people before, a lot of people. So why did he ask you and not me?"

"I don't know."

"I'm supposed to be his second, I'm supposed to be his right hand. I'm his _childe_ for Christ's sake! Why wasn't I the one he sent?" Violet walked over and put her hand on his broad shoulder, a rare tender motion.

"I don't know, Darien. Maybe he didn't want to bother you," Darien cringed, "Maybe he knew that you wouldn't approve, and he didn't want you to think poorly of him. Although you would have found out eventually, so I don't know what the point of that would be. Maybe he just wanted to give me something to do. I have been sitting around here like a lump for a month. I don't know Darien, but I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you." Darien put his grease-covered hand on hers. She squeezed his shoulder gently. "He didn't mean to hurt you, Darien."

…

Sibby had been on the phone with Buffy for an hour before she glanced at the clock.

"Oh, crap, I wonder where Hugh is, he should have been home like a half hour ago."

"Where might he be?" asked Buffy's voice from the phone receiver.

"I don't know, probably shopping for more house stuff. I swear he is worse than Cordelia about this shopping nonsense. I think I should beep him, dinner's getting cold."

"Well don't you sound all domestic?" Buffy's voice teased.

"Oh haha. I'm gonna page him. Can I talk to you later, Buffy?"

"Sure. I should go patrol anyway."

"Ok, I'll call you in a few days."

"Right-O. Good night."

"'Night." Sibby hung up the phone and then paged her fiancée.

After a few minutes she heard an odd noise coming from outside. She walked out and saw a body lying on the ground. She rushed over to push the body over to start CPR. She almost threw up when she did. There, lying on the ground beneath her, was the body of Hugh Brody. 

"Oh my God," Sibby sobbed, "oh my God, no….no." She began wailing and crying. Soon some of her new neighbors came outside to see what the ruckus was. Someone called the police, who came and tried to pry Sibby away from the scene. Somehow Cordelia, Angel, and Wesley showed up. They took her inside and cleaned her up. 

The next two days went by in a blur for Sibby. She didn't really know what was happening. The police determined it was a random mugging since Hugh's wallet and watch were missing. Wesley called the Watchers' Council and it was decided that Hugh's body would be moved back to England to be buried next to the other members of his family. The entire group, both those from Sunnydale and those from LA decided to go for the funeral, and to be there for Sibby. In the end they totaled 14 in all, including the two vampires. The third day after Hugh was murdered 12 people boarded a private jet destined for Heathrow airport accompanied by one coffin and two very large trunks. Sibby stared out the window the whole flight, not caring about anything. How could she care about petty things like eating and talking to friends when her heart was broken? This light had gone out of her life, and nothing mattered anymore.

…

As the sun began its descent in the western sky, Sibby headed for the storeroom of the airport. She paid extra attention to her surroundings to make sure she wasn't followed. She was in no mood to explain to any passerby's why she want into the room alone and left with two men who seemed to materialize out of no where. As she entered the large room she noticed that it was empty except for one coffin and two large trunks. One of the trunks lay open, and Spike sat against the wall smoking a cigarette.

"It was pretty dangerous for you to get out your hiding place, Spike. What if someone were in here?"

"I would have intimidated him with witty repartee," said Spike between puffs.

"They probably would have tried to have you arrested."

"Well then I would have had to use vamp hypnosis on 'em." Spike stamped out the butt and stood. He stared at Sibby. She was dressed totally in black, with her hair pulled severely back into a ponytail. The dark clothes made her look extremely pale and accentuated the bags under her eyes. Spike frowned. She looked like hell.

"I suppose we should wake up Angel and get the hell out of here." She kept her eyes on him, not having the emotional strength to look at the other two boxes.

"We could always just leave Peaches in there," Spike chuckled and smiled at her. She gave him a weak smile in return.

"Now that wouldn't be very nice," She walked over and undid the clasps. "Spike, could you give me a hand."

Spike sighed and opened the crate. A sleeping Angel tumbled out.

"Heavy sleeper, huh?" Sibby walked over and nudged him with her toe. Angel moaned. "Get up, pretty boy. Sun's a setting."

Angel lolled his head to the side and opened his eyes. It took him a minute to figure out where he was, but gradually Spike and Sibby's faces came into view.

"Morning Sunshine," said Sibby brightly.

"Ugh…that's ironic," he said and smiled. Spike raised a scarred eyebrow.

"Well, everybody's awake. Let's get back to the group." Spike grudgingly helped Angel up and they made their way to the door. The two vampires lost the girl as they passed Hugh's coffin. At the door they turned back and saw her standing over the coffin.

"Sibby," Angel said, trying to distract her, "we should go."

Sibby turned to look at them. "Maybe he's been turned. Maybe he was killed by a vampire, and just wasn't bitten on the neck…"

"Sibby, his neck was broken…" said Angel sadly, always Mr. Logic. Spike pushed past him to stand next to her.

She knelt next to the coffin, placing her hand on it. "Maybe…" she turned to look at the coffin. "We should give him a minute. What if he wakes up as a vampire all alone? He'd be so confused…"

"Come on, Hugh, please…wake up. I'll take care of you. It would be ok. We'd make it work. I'd love you even if you were a vampire…" At this last remark, both Spike and Angel closed their eyes, emotions coursing through each.

"Sibby…" Angel started again, but Spike sent him a look that quieted him. Spike put his hand on Sibby's back, in the gesture he used time and again to comfort Buffy.

"He's not a vampire, pet. He's not going to rise. Angel and I would have been able to tell right away. He's gone, love, I'm sorry." Sibby began to sob. The two men stood her up and basically carried her to the door and the car.

The car ride to the hotel was made in silence. As soon as they got there, Sibby closed herself off in her room and didn't speak to anyone for the rest of the night. The group was left to get settled on their own. The first thing Spike did was seek out Buffy."She's not doing too well, is she?" He asked after a brief hello.

"No," Buffy replied with a frown, "I haven't seen her eat in days, and it looks as though she hasn't slept in that long either."

"Hmmm…Buffy, you are her friend, and you need to be there for her now. You've dealt with loss, and you can sympathize. She needs your strength to get through this." With that, he walked away, searching for the cooler of blood packets that Wesley had smuggled in from California. It was only after he left that she realized that he called her by her first name.

…

The next day, the day of the funeral, dawned bright and beautiful. It was a gorgeous mid-August morning. Somehow Sibby felt insulted. It went against all that she thought was right and proper to bury Hugh on such a beautiful day. This day was one for the living. She peeked through the heavy drapes and gave the sun a dirty look. With a sigh of disgust, she threw the drapes closed. She dressed quickly in silence, donning the same severe black look that she had worn for the past three days. Black was all she had felt comfortable in since Hugh had died. Black conveyed misery and also kept her fantasy alive that by wearing dark clothing, she could fade out of people's notice and into the shadows. Her line of work had taught her about color camouflage.

There was a knock at the door. Sibby opened it to find the porter standing before her.

"You have a message, ma'am," his clipped British accent making her heart hurt. He held out a card.

"Thank you," she took the card and gave him a tip.

_"My dear Sibhan,_

I just learned that you arrived in London last night. I would very much like to see you before today's services. I am downstairs in the lobby if you wish to talk. I certainly understand if you would rather be alone.

Sincerely,

Catherine Brody"

Hugh's mother. Sibby knew that she would have to see her eventually. She figured she would get it over with now. This afternoon was for Hugh and Hugh alone. She walked down the steps with a heavy heart, not wanting to do what would come next.

She saw Catherine first, facing the doors of the hotel. She sat with perfect posture, not a hair out of place in her French twist; her black suit looking perfectly pressed. Catherine was practically perfect in every way, she knew it, and it made her very intimidating.

"Hello Mrs. Brody," Sibby said from a few feet away, standing in a very closed posture.

"Hello, dear," she replied much too brightly for Sibby's taste. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll live," said Sibby flatly.

"Of course," said Catherine, not knowing how to respond, "why don't you sit down…would you like some tea?"

"No thank you," Sibby sat.

"What lovely boots," said Catherine saccharinely, staring at the knee boots. _And so it begins_, thought Sibby. She knew right away that Mrs. Brody would not approve of her attire. She was wearing a long fitted black turtleneck, a short black skirt, black stockings, and of course the boots. It didn't matter what _she_ thought, though, Hugh would have liked it.

"Thank you," Sibby replied, just as falsely sweet.

"So…how was your flight?" she asked, sipping her tea.

"You didn't call me down here just to make polite conversation, did you?" asked Sibby suddenly, in no mood to play games.

"No, I didn't," she replied, putting the tea cup down, "I wanted to tell you that we are reading the will tomorrow afternoon. I have been told by the executors that you should be there for the reading. It will be at 125 Gracechurch St. I hope you can make it."

"Hugh had a will?" Sibby was stunned; he had never mentioned it.

"All Watchers make out wills before they take on their first charge, it's a safety precaution."

"But why would I be in it if it was written before he was my Watcher?"

"Well obviously he changed it, my dear," said Catherine in exasperation, unhappy with the entire situation.

"Very well, I'll be there. What time?"

"Three o'clock."

"Fine. If there isn't anything else, I really should take my leave. I have a few things to do before the…before this afternoon."

"No there's nothing else."

"Well then I should say goodbye. Until this afternoon, Mrs. Brody."

"Until this afternoon, dear."

…

The group gathered at the cemetery under the intensely beaming sun. It was a large group. Hugh had been well liked and it seemed as if half the population of London had come to pay their respects. The fourteen, minus two, from the US were clumped together, acting as a protective barrier around Sibby. She was flanked by Buffy and Mrs. Summers. As the mourners settled down, Quentin Travers stood and faced them. 

"Today is a fitting tribute to Hugh Brody. The great number of people that are here to pay their respects show how much he was loved and admired. But I think that we would rather hear about Hugh from the person who knew him best," Catherine looked as though she was about to stand up when Quentin looked at Sibby," Sibhan."

Sibby stood and moved to where Quentin had been standing. She noted the scowl on Mrs. Brody's face at the snub she had just received. Sibby adjusted her sunglasses and began nervously turning her moot engagement ring.

"Hugh wouldn't have wanted a lot of pomp, so I'll make this brief. I think it is ironic but appropriate that the sun is shining so brightly today. It is in such contrast to how Hugh and how many of us here live our lives. Many of us here, like Hugh, are creatures of the night. And today, on a day when we are one fewer the sun is shining the brightest.

"Hugh was my Watcher for four years. For four years, all we had were each other. He was my Watcher, he was my mentor, and he was my best friend," here her voice started to break, "he was also much too young to die. Death is a certainty in all our lives, but somehow that thought doesn't make me feel much better. I guess I'm just being selfish.

"I know that wherever he is now, he's having a good time. That was one of the best things about Hugh, he could make any situation seem like a party. That was one of the things that I loved most about him. I know that now with him gone, my life is darker. Hugh had a lot of love to give. All of us here know that. And now we are showing how much we all love with," with that, she walked over to one of the flower arrangements, removed a rose and placed it on the coffin. Buffy stood and followed her example, then Mrs. Summers, Dawn and all the rest until the coffin was so covered with flowers that it could barely be seen. Sibby shut her eyes as they lowered the coffin into the ground, no being able to bear the sight of her love, the center of her universe, being entombed in the cold, dead earth.

…

There was a quiet luncheon after the funeral. It was mainly the group from California and those in the employ of the Watcher's Council. Sibby sat in silence while those around her ate and talked. After a while, she got up and went to sit alone and stare out the window. Buffy took this opportunity to talk to her.

"Hey," said Buffy as she sat down.

"Hey," replied Sibby, giving her a weak smile, "we can leave the day after tomorrow. I just have to meet with the council and some lawyers. I'm doing all that tomorrow, so we'll be able to leave soon. Actually, you guys could leave tomorrow if you wanted."

"We won't leave England without you, Sibby, and we won't leave until you are ready. How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm ok…yeah and if you believe that one…I'm terrible. I want him back. I don't care how. I just want him back." Her pain made Buffy's heart hurt and brought back painful memories.

"I understand," said Buffy, patting her arm. Sibby's head shot up and she stared at Buffy.

"I know…I know you do…" she moved forward on her chair to get close to Buffy, "and I also know that you don't always play by the rules. I need to tell you something, I need to tell _someone_, and I have a feeling that you will keep it to yourself. Will you?"

"Yes, Sibby. I won't tell anyone."

"And I mean no one, not Spike, not Willow, not even Giles." Buffy was starting to get nervous.

"Yes, I promise."

"Ok," she took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant." Buffy's jaw hit the floor. She stared at Sibby.

"Oh my God. Are you ok? Have you been to the doctor?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I go to the doctor regularly. I'm about three and a half months along."

"Oh my God, Sibby what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet, I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it. Right now I'm just going to try to stay healthy and safe."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded eyes wide with amazement. Just then Giles walked over.

"Buffy, Sibby, time to go."

…

Spike, of course, had been awake since before sundown. He had spent two hours exploring the hotel and then had gotten bored. Letting his impish nature take over, he went into Giles' room and began rifling through his things, looking for anything interesting. His search was not in vain. Hidden in the closet was a guitar. Spike took his newfound toy to the sitting room of the hotel suite and began to play some chords. Not caring whether he woke Angel or not, he played and sang to his heart's content.

_Memories are just where you leave them_

Drag the waters, till the depths give up their dead

What did you expect to find, was it something you left behind?

Don't you remember anything I said when I said 

"Don't fall away, leave me to myself,

"Don't fall away, and leave love bleeding in my hands, in my hands again…"

Buffy walked in halfway into the second verse.

"You're lucky Giles isn't here to see you playing with his toys."

"Well pet, I was bored," Spike said embarrassed at having her discover him.

"He's not here anyway, so your secret is safe with me."

"Where is everybody?"

"They are touring London."

"And you didn't go with them?"

"I decided to take care of the pets. Here," she said handing him a container of blood. "Is Angel awake yet?"

"I don't think so," he placed the blood off to the side, "why didn't you go with them? You've never been here before, it's a great opportunity."

"Yeah well, it was a long and trying day. I just wanted to veg out tonight."

"How was the funeral?"

"It was beautiful. Sibby gave the eulogy."

"How's she holding up?"

"She's standing." _TELL HIM!_ Something within her screamed. "But she's not doing too well. I was thinking of maybe staying with her when we get back to LA for a little while to help her adjust. Do you…do you want to go with me?"

Spike stared at her. Was he hearing her correctly? Buffy became agitated. "Well, she seems to like you for some reason and its not like you've got anything better to do."

"I'd love to, pet."

"Ok, great, so we'll go," she started to go toward her bedroom, "by the way, you sounded really good."

Spike smile at Buffy's retreating back.

…

The day after the funeral, the weather was terrible. In a way it made Sibby feel better. It fueled her foul mood, which she would need. Anger made her strong. She left the hotel at 10AM, while everyone else was still asleep. She made her way to the building that housed the Watchers' Council. She walked up to the receptionist.

"Hey chickie, is the council in session?" she asked with a chip on her shoulder.

"Yes."

"Good," Sibby said as she walked past the mousy woman's desk.

"Hey, you can't go in there!"

"Yeah, why don't you try to stop me, honey."

"Bloody Americans," the receptionist muttered under her breath.

Without preamble, Sibby walked into the closed room. It was huge, with dark, intricate decorations. The only furniture was a gigantic round table surrounded by chairs. Quentin Travers sat directly across from the double doors and Sibby met his eyes first.

"Alright boys and girls, I know some of you might not be able to understand my uncultured American accent, so I'll speak slowly and use small words. I know you all pride yourselves in thinking you can manipulate people's lives. You've been able to do that to mine for quite awhile now, but its going to stop, today. I am resigning from my position as a Slayer in training. I will no longer follow any orders you give me and hopefully you will not be able to find me either."

"Sibhan, I…"

"I'm not finished yet." She said so coldly the temperature of the room dropped, "I know that Hugh was required to keep diaries while he was my Watcher, and now since he is dead," she took a breath, "those diaries now belong to you. I have no problem with that. But when you receive these diaries, they will be changed. Every reference to me by name will either be taken out or changed. This goes along with any records that you might have on me here. I am through; I am out. I am going back to having a normal life. As far as anyone from now on is concerned, Sibhan Connolly never existed. And if you send any agents after me, I will return them to you in wheelchairs." She turned to leave.

"Sibhan, I understand that you are upset over Hugh's death, but we can't falsify our records. They go back a hundred years or more. It would be unethical…"

"You're a fine one to be talking about ethics, Quentin. And I know that you can do anything you want. All I want is to be left alone and forgotten. I don't think that's too much to ask."

"But…"

"Quentin, do you like this posh office building? Do you like living in that lovely home of yours?" she cut him off. He nodded gravely.

"If my demands are not met, I will burn them down. I will burn every building that I think may hold official Council records to the ground. And that includes all of your homes, as well," she looked around at the other members of the Council, "you people understand violence, and so it will be with violence that I communicate if I don't get my way."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving a very stunned group of people behind her.

…

Later that evening, Sibby returned to the hotel feeling a little bit better than she had in days. She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her soul, and she could slowly begin to heal. She carried her package into the sitting room.

"Spike, Angel, dinner!" she called. Angel was the first to enter the room. She handed him a packet.

"You're looking a bit brighter this evening," he noted.

"Yeah, well today was better than yesterday," she gave him a smile.

"Now that's what we've been missin'," Spike said as he entered the room followed by Buffy and Xander. He walked over to give her a hug and whispered in her ear, "it's been too long since we've seen you smile." He gave her another squeeze, then pulled away and took the packet she offered. He sat on the couch next to Angel. "Ooh…its fresh."

"Yeah, I paid a visit to the butcher." The two vampires smiled in appreciation.

"So where were you all day, Sibby?" Buffy asked, "you've been gone since before we all woke up."

"Yeah, I had some things to do today."

"Wasn't today the will reading?" Angel asked between sips.

"Yes it was."

"How did it go?"

"Well, Hugh did change his will. Ironically, he did it about a week ago," she looked pointedly at Buffy, "and named me primary benefactor."

"That's cool, so how much did you get?" asked Xander from his place on the arm of the couch. Buffy shot him a look.

"It's ok. Apparently Hugh comes from a very wealthy family. He had two healthy trust funds that he never even touched, so those both go to me."

"Wow, I guess maybe we should go shopping before we leave," said Buffy.

"Ugh, don't say that too loud," Angel groaned, "Cordelia might hear you."

"But that was this afternoon. Where were you this morning?" asked Buffy.

"You know, Sibby, I heard a nasty little rumor about you today," said Xander.

"Oh really, and what was this rumor?"

"I heard that you quit the Council and threatened to burn the building down. Somebody's seen _Office Space_ one too many times." Buffy's eyes got wide.

"Is that true, Sibby?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah it is. I'm out. I told them I wanted to be stricken from their records and threatened arson if I didn't get my way. Travers is too comfortable to risk his house on little ole me."

"Now that right there is Buffy's influence," said Spike as he finished off his dinner.

"Yeah or maybe something in the California air that makes people anti-Council," added Angel.

"Oh my God, Dead-boy just made a joke. I think I'm gonna faint," said Xander.

"Funny Xander," said Angel with mock danger in his tone.

"Wow, I'm very proud of you Sib," said Buffy with a smile, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

When they had separated themselves from the others, Buffy turned to her friend.

"I know this is kind of an imposition, and feel free to say no, but Spike and I were thinking of maybe spending some time with you when we go back to California. We would just stay with you for a week or so, just till you get settled…"

"Wow, Buffy, that…" tears started to form in the corners of Sibby's eyes, "that would be great, thank you. I was so worried about having to go back to the apartment and be all alone when we got back."

"Well, now you won't have to worry about it. Just behave, if not I'll leave Spike there to torture you." The two girls laughed at the thought.

…

"Hey Buffy," Sibby began, entering the doorway to the bathroom where Buffy was brushing her teeth, "I know this is kind of a weird request, but could you stay with me in my room tonight. It's my first night back, and I would just feel better with another person in the room. I'd ask Spike, but, well, there are just too many things wrong with that thought to even continue it." Buffy laughed and almost spit toothpaste all over the bathroom and her friend. 

"Sure, that's no problem," the blond smiled, "just don't try any funny business."

"Damnit, and that was my plan all along, to lure you into my trap." Sibby gave a sly smile. She had been acting more and more like the old Sibby that they all knew and loved since the plane had landed at LAX. Buffy laughed at their foolishness.

"Goodnight Spike," Buffy said as she passed his couch in the living room on her way to the master bedroom.

"Goodnight Spike," said Sibby as she followed Buffy, giving Spike a wink, just to mess with him.

"Hey, wait a minute, where are you two going?" he said, holding a pillow to his chest.

"To bed, Spike," said Buffy from the doorway, "Coming Sibby?" she asked, deciding to play along and make Spike suffer.

"Yeah, we're very tired," Sibby gave an exaggerated yawn, "see you in the morning, or evening, or whatever." She giggled and scampered into the room. The door closed with a very final sounding thump.

"Hey, this isn't fair. How come you are having a party and not inviting me? I am a guest here too!" he was becoming more and more agitated as his very active imagination began conjuring up all sorts of things that they could be doing in the room while he was stuck outside in the living room. He unhappily threw the pillow on the couch and lay down to start what would be a very fitful sleep. 

In the bedroom, the girls laughed at the trouble they had caused. The bed that Sibby and Hugh had shared had been very large, and they both had enough room to be comfortable.

"He's going to bitch all day tomorrow about this you realize," said Sibby quietly.

"Yeah, I know, but I love messing with his head. Its so much fun," replied Buffy. The two giggled quietly.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Buffy continued, "why did you want to be erased from all those records that the Council had?"

"Because of the baby, I didn't want them coming after him or her to be a Watcher or a Slayer or something. I want Hugh's baby to have a normal life, lived in sunshine. I knew the only way to have that would be to take myself out of Council history."

"Wow, it took a lot of guts to go in there like that."

"Yeah well, like Spike said, it must have been your influence. Seriously though, Buffy, I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't been there. Especially you, your strength gives me strength." Their talk continued for a few hours, ranging to everything from boyfriends to baby names. 

The days continued happily for Sibby. Slowly she was learning how to live a life that did not have Hugh in it. She had to learn how to do little things, like budget, and cook. Just things that she had never had to worry about before. But Spike and Buffy were very good teachers, and whenever the three had a question, there was always Giles or Joyce to call to get an answer.

Buffy and Spike stayed for three weeks. Finally, Buffy had to get back to get ready for another semester. The day that they were set to leave was a very sad one, but Sibby knew that they were only a phone call away. She could talk to them whenever she wanted. And of course Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn were all in LA to help her and visit whenever she wanted. They had offered her a job doing research for Angel Investigations, and while she didn't need the money, Sibby definitely needed something low-impact to keep her busy.

"Where has Spike gotten himself off to?" asked Sibby as she came out of the bathroom to see Buffy shoving his clothes, which were strewn about the living room into a duffel bag.

"I don't know, but he picked a hell of a time to go off and get lost. And he left me to do all the packing, as if I were his maid or something," Buffy fumed.

"Well guys usually leave little details like packing to their significant others," said Sibby, looking down at her tea to hide her smile.

"I am NOT his significant other," Buffy glared at her.

"Yeah but he still wishes you were," said Sibby, eyes widening as their topic of conversation walked through the door carrying a large box.

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Buffy, pushing hair off her face.

"I had one last thing to get before we left," he responded, putting the box down. He undid the top and pulled his purchase out. In his arms he held a small black kitten. Sibby's eyes got wide.

"Well, Sibby, we're leaving today and I didn't want you to be lonely, so I got you a little friend. They are the best kind, they keep you company, and let you tell them whatever you want and never interrupt," he placed the cat in Sibby's arms.

"Wow, Spike," she walked over and kissed and hugged him. 

"Careful, don't squish him," said Buffy, amazed at what Spike had done.

"I got you everything you need, litter box, some food, and a collar." He pulled the collar out of his pocket. It was a deep red with black embroidery on it.

"Dante?" asked Sibby, staring at the collar.

"That's what I named him," said Spike, proudly.

"Don't I get to name my own cat?"

"I like it," said Buffy, going over to pet the kitten, "hello Dante."

The cat purred loudly. 

"Either he likes the name or he just likes Buffy." 

"Well, everybody likes Buffy, but I think he likes the name too," Spike said with a soft smile on his face. Sibby gathered both of them, plus the cat into an enormous hug.

"Thank you guys so much for staying with me, I would have been so lonely without you," she wiped tears from her cheek, "now you had better go before I make a fool out of myself by begging you to stay."

They departed all three with tears in their eyes. And promises to keep in touch.

…

Sibby carried the bags into the now empty apartment. She felt very lonely now that Buffy and Spike were gone, but at least she still had her cat.

"Hey Dante," she said as the animal rubbed against her leg, "I know, you're hungry." She put the paper bags on the counter and rubbed the small of her back. Pregnancy was rapidly becoming one of her least favorite things.

"You're a real pain in the back, do you know that?" she asked her now swelling abdomen. A blinking red light on the answering machine caught her attention. She pressed the button.

"Hey Sib," Spike's voice said, "we just got back and the Slayer wanted me to call and tell you that we got back ok."

"No I didn't," said Buffy's voice, "that was all you."

"Yeah…well anyway just hoping that everything is ok. Feel free to call Buffy if you need to. Or me, I got a cell phone on the way home. Here's the number…"

Sibby wrote down the number and smiled at his mother-henning. "Yeah so call, keep in touch. All right I had better go before Dawn stakes me for tying up the phone line. Talk to you soon. Bye."

Sibby smiled. "Isn't that sweet, Dante?" she got no response, "Dante?…oh crap," she said as she noticed the open door. She walked out into the night to find her cat.

"Dante?" she called. 

Before she knew what was happening, she was pulled to someone's chest. One of their arms went over her shoulders and held her head to the side. The other fought to keep her arms down. Suddenly she felt some thing pierce her neck. She expected to feel blood course down her neck as her attacker slit her throat, but there was none. In fact, the pain had stopped, and she felt very warm. Panic started to seep into her consciousness. _VAMPIRE!_ She fought even harder to get free and somehow got control of her arms. She caught hold of one of her attacker's hands and did the only thing she could think of to free herself. She brought the wrist to her mouth and bit down. Hard. The demon's blood filled her mouth as her jaw held its death grip. When this didn't seem to phase the monster, she bit down even harder. Sibby felt the world start to spin, and the edges of everything grow fuzzy. It felt as though her eyes were closing; yet she knew that they were wide open. She felt weaker and dizzy and very, very tired. Suddenly nothing else mattered, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

The beast within Alexander realized that its prey was dying and released its hold. His human mask dropped back down over his face. The first thing he realized was that his wrist hurt. He pulled his head away from the crook of Sibby's neck. Darien walked out of the shadows.

"Is it done yet?" he asked, brow bunched in unhappiness.

"Almost," replied Alexander, preparing to turn Sibby and complete the ritual. He looked up to meet Darien's eyes and saw fear. Alexander started to feel panic, absorbing the emotions of his childe.

"Shit, Lex, that's a lot of blood," said Darien shakily. Alexander turned Sibby in his arms; he had to hold her up. He looked at her face. Her eyes were closed and there was blood around her mouth. _That's odd_, he thought, _perhaps she bit her lip or the inside of her mouth when she was attacked_. It was blood, but not enough to upset Darien so. He continued to trace his eyes down her body. When he reached her pants, his heart stopped. Panic consumed him. The material of her pants between her legs had been stained dark red, and the stain was growing. Alexander began to cry without even realizing it as his mind flashed back to memories from 700 years in the past. Memories he had tried so hard to forget.

"Lex," Darien said, nervous about the way he was acting.

"LEX!" Alexander looked up, a wild look in his eyes, "don't you think we should get her to a hospital?"

"Hospital, yes, that would be good," said Alexander slowly, sanity seeping back in. With their enhanced vampire speed they ran, carrying her to the nearest emergency room. They placed her on a gurney that lay outside and pushed it through the doors. Knowing better than to stick around to face unanswerable questions, they fled to the top of a nearby hill.

"We'll come back in a few hours to check on her," Alexander said dully. Something had gone wrong, terribly wrong. _What had happened?_

"Yes," Darien replied equally dully, "Lex, look at your wrist."

In all the panic, he had totally forgotten his discomfort. Alexander looked down at his left wrist. It was bruised and bloody around a jaw-shaped ring of bite marks.

To be continued…


End file.
